Definitely Not Business As Usual
by BekaHasAPen
Summary: When a sorcerer shows up to threaten the Pendragons YET AGAIN, Merlin isn't too concerned. But when this week's magical enemy changes the game, Merlin finds himself dealing with events and problems that haven't even happened yet! Now, to prevent a nightmare from becoming reality, Merlin and the rest of the gang are going to have to deal with everything they always kept quiet.
1. Not this again! Wait, what?

**Definitely Not Business As Usual**

**By: BekaHasAPen**

**Chapter 1: Not this again! Wait, what?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. At all. In any way, shape, or form. **

This was becoming far too familiar for Merlin's taste. Really, much too familiar. Almost routine even. And it was getting old, fast.

Once again, Uther had managed to anger some magical being who had been doing nothing even remotely harmful (besides existing with magic of course, mustn't forget that) and so once again, Uther had to go and attack it. Violently. Because as everyone knows, magic is forbidden in Camelot, and clearly if anyone were to have magic in Camelot, they would do nothing but work towards the eradication of the king.

Yes, because Merlin had not been SAVING the prince, the king, and the majority of Camelot since he got here. Of course not. Wow, he was in a bad mood today. He blamed Gaius for keeping him up till just before dawn working on some poultices for a new outbreak of fever in the lower town.

Anyways, back to the magical being. It had decided to retaliate against Uther, and was thus currently standing in the middle of the dining room, loudly proclaiming how Uther was a pestilence on humanity.

While Merlin appreciated this beings superior use of language, as well as his impressive ability to hold a crowds attention, he was far too familiar with this happening to actually be worried about it. He already knew how it would go.

Already passed was the magical being, (this time a man looking to be around thirty), appearing where the royal family was, and sealing the room, getting rid of guards, etc., etc.

Then came the monologue, the explanation of their motives, which was what was currently happening. Yay. Merlin tuned in quickly to the man's rant. He was currently at, "Teach the Pendragons a lesson once and for all!" So, approximately four minutes left to go before action would be required.

Merlin probably should have been more concerned than he was at this point, but honestly, he knew how this was likely to pan out. I mean, it was the same thing EVERY time. Uther would summon his guards, while Arthur threatened the man with his ever-present sword and Morgana watched anxiously from her seat. Gwen would fret from her place near Morgana, and Gaius would stand there watching Merlin intently, so he remembered how VITAL it was that Merlin keep his magic a secret. As if he needed reminding. Anyways, while they all did that, Merlin would, as usual, make sure that any and all magical attacks failed before they reached anyone.

Quietly of course. Otherwise it'd be him burning at the stake, and not the poor man standing there yelling at Uther. The King's prejudice of magic would see to it that, if Merlin was ever found out, he wouldn't live past the next dawn.

Although, it was possible that Arthur might not allow his father to actually KILL Merlin. The prince had definitely lost some of his arrogance that Merlin had seen when he had first arrived in Camelot. Now, Merlin thought that he and Arthur might actually be friends. Granted, there were still days when Merlin despised the arrogant prat, and he cursed the very ground he walked on, but they were getting farther and farther between. In fact, recently there had been very few of those days at all. Arthur had been being a lot….kinder to Merlin in the past few weeks, though for the life of him Merlin couldn't figure out why. Perhaps Arthur was finally accepting that he didn't need to be superior around Merlin all the time, and was relaxing his clotpole-like tendencies in return.

He had asked Kilgarrah what he made of these new developments, but the dragon remained as stubbornly vague as ever. He actually laughed at Merlin, before saying something like, "Destiny has a funny way of working out for everyone, young warlock" or perhaps it was "Two sides of the same coin" again. Either way, Merlin didn't really have the time to dwell on it, he had other things to worry about.

Speaking of which, it looked like Magical Enemy of the Month number eighty-seven was finishing up with his threats, as he began to chant in a language that Merlin was all too familiar with. Sighing, the boy reached into the well of magic within himself and prepared to neutralize the threat, as Uther screamed for guards. Again.

But then, the sorcerer stopped chanting. He looked back up at them, holding whatever spell he had created in his hands. Merlin paused. Now this was unusual. The man looked almost…nervous? Frightened?

The sorcerer spoke, "While this may have consequences far beyond my imaginings, I fear I have no choice. I hope you learn something, all of you, and that you manage to find a way to return. Elsewise, I am afraid that the horrible world I have seen will come to pass for all of us."

And with that, the man threw the ball of orange-colored light high up into the air. The light spun as it went up, spreading some sort of strange bubble over the group of people. Startled, the King, along with his children and servants looked up.

Merlin too glanced above him, and then immediately wised he hadn't. As his eyes got heavier, he was vaguely aware of a falling sensation, and the roof above him spinning violently. Merlin's eyes got heavier, and the last thought he had was that this, this was definitely not business as usual.


	2. I'm too tired to deal with this

**Definitely Not Business As Usual**

**By: BekaHasAPen**

**Chapter 2: ** I'm too tired for this…

**Disclaimer! I am not in possession of the rights to Merlin! Never have been, never will be!**

Merlin woke with a start and an ache in his arm. The ache was most likely due to Arthur standing over him, having rapped him hard with the butt of his sword to get him up. Prat. Arthur smacked him with the sword again, hurrying him along with an expression of concern written across his face.

As Merlin sat up, groaning, he knew immediately that he had not been asleep for nearly long enough. Probably no more than an hour, judging from his still-present exhaustion. Next time the lower town was in the midst of a disease epidemic, Merlin was going to just sit back and watch from his cozy bed in the castle. Running on no sleep for the past week or so had made his thoughts quite acidic, and it was probably only going to get worse.

Looking around him at his surrounding through his lifting haze of drowsiness, it took Merlin a minute to register their location. When he did, suddenly Arthur's drawn face, and the abrupt wake-up call made a lot more sense.

They had all been at the castle when the sorcerer attacked, in the dining hall. Merlin was sure of this. So, it was understandable that Arthur was a bit concerned, seeing as they were now on top of what appeared to be a rather large hill in the middle of a forest. Yes, that would explain it; also, Merlin could see, as he looked out over the forest and past it, what was unmistakably Camelot in the distance. Yeah. Arthur's actions were completely justified.

While Merlin was busy NOT panicking (no, it wasn't panic, it was more of a state of perfectly healthy concern in a slightly almost hysterical way, thank you very much) Arthur had not been idle. Coming back to himself, Merlin noticed that Arthur had managed to get everyone else up as well.

Given the fact that magical travel was by no means comfortable (Merlin should know) or safe (he had some spectacular bruises from his first attempt) this was quite the accomplishment. Quickly checking the group about him, Merlin was impressed with the enemy sorcerer. It took a significant amount of skill to be able to move people from one place to another with magic and keep them whole.

However, apart from a few scratches on Morgana's arm from landing against a rock, and a vaguely nauseous look on Gwen's face, everyone seemed to be fine. Impressive. Merlin hadn't thought that the sorcerer had the juice to…

Merlin's brain, still near delirious from lack of sleep, finally snapped into overdrive, remembering the very powerful magical enemy that was most likely about to attack. Merlin scanned the area, ready for….something. Anything really. Some form of attack. It was surely going to happen.

But nothing did happen. And after a solid ten minutes of hyperactive watching for a threat, Merlin's brain gave out again and he resumed his place with the rest of the group, who were handling this new move of theirs fairly well, all things considered. No one had spoken yet. They all just stood there, looking at each other. It was as though the royal family was hoping that if no one spoke, this wasn't real, just some odd shared dream or something.

Merlin could understand wanting something to be a dream. He had wished for that many times before. So he wasn't going to be the one to break the silence. No sir.

And so, ignoring Gaius frantic hand signals to say something to Arthur, Merlin commenced with quite the show of looking literally everywhere except at Gaius or Arthur.

The king really did have a fascinating stitch pattern running along his boots.

Eventually, Uther's temper could take the silence no longer, and the silence was shattered. "Gaius, what has happened to us?"

It took nearly all of Merlin's semi-comatose willpower to resist snorting. "Yes Gaius," he mimicked in Uther's voice (in his head of course), "Tell me what's happened. Give me the truth of what magical thing has occurred so I may yell at you, deny it, make the problem worse, and then eventually admit you were right".

Huh. Seemed like that forced trip to unconsciousness hadn't done anything for Merlin's inner annoyed self. That could be bad if left untended to. They must not have been out for very long. Shame. Merlin felt he could do with a nice lie-in. Anyways, back to current crisis.

Merlin was betting on a teleportation spell gone wrong, meant to send them into an ambush, but most likely overshot by the sorcerer. It was common enough when attempting spells like this. Dismissing it, he tuned back into what was happening with the others.

"…ambush, but missed the target location". Gaius finished saying. Woo! Point for Merlin, guessing correctly.

Arthur was conversing with his father, discussing what their next move should be. Uther was arguing that there could still be an ambush at this location, and they were waiting until the group relaxed their guard, but Arthur didn't seem to sure.

"With all due respect, Father, this seems to be a pretty poor place for an ambush. I do not think we are in any immediate danger." Arthur was saying. "I mean look around!

So Merlin did. Upon second look, this place really was bad for an ambush. What Merlin had thought was a large hill was actually more like a small mountain, complete with sheer cliff drop. Facing away from the cliff was a gentle slope that led back down into the forest, towards Camelot. A very tree-less slope, with no cover to be seen anywhere. Anyone wishing to attack them up here would need to either charge at them up the hill in plain view, or scale the, rather imposing and slightly terrifying now that Merlin really looked at it, cliff. Not exactly an attacker's day in paradise.

In fact, it was almost as though the sorcerer had put them down someplace that he knew would be easily defendable, even while the majority of them were unconscious from the trip. Odd. But Merlin would ponder that idea later. Right now, Arthur was speaking.

"Well, we clearly need to return to Camelot. However, it will be dark very quickly, and I don't particularly fancy running into the ambush that we were lucky enough to overshoot in the dark."

"Nor do I" Uther agreed, "so I suggest we remain here for the night and set of for Camelot at dawn." Worked for Merlin. That meant he might actually get some solid sleep hours in!

Excited at the prospect of a solid nights' sleep, even if it did come with a dawn wake-up, Merlin was making his way to what seemed to be a very lovely patch of grass to lie down in when Uther spoke again.

"Arthur, you and your manservant take watch. We don't want to be attacked in our sleep. Gaius can take over a few hours before dawn." And with that, his royal Allowed-to-sleep-ness promptly proceeded to enter dreamland, closely followed by the girls and Gaius.

Merlin could have stabbed him. Violently. With a….searching for something suitably threatening, he settled on a nearby daisy. Yes. Death by daisy stabbing. That is how Uther deserved to go, keeping Merlin from his precious sleep.

Apparently Arthur noticed the violent murders being planned in Merlin's eyes, or maybe he just noticed how tired his manservant looked for once. Either way, not half an hour after everyone else had fallen asleep, Arthur turned to Merlin.

"Well, I won't be able to sleep tonight regardless of if we get attacked or not, but I don't need you being useless tomorrow. You're clumsy enough as it is when you're full-rested. Get some rest, I'll wake you if we're about to die."

Regardless of the insults in his speech, it seemed to Merlin that this was the nicest thing that Arthur had ever said to him. As he lay down on the ground, Merlin could literally feel the sweetness of sleep calling to him, and he fervently hoped that they were not attacked tonight, because he would probably kill Arthur himself if he was woken before he had to be.

Merlin's last thought before sleep overtook him completely was that they all must have been unconscious longer than he had thought, because it had been dinner time when they were in Camelot, and it didn't get dark like it was now until hours after dinner.

***Author's Note* (skip if you can't stand them)**

**WOW! I was really impressed with how many people favorited this story and added it to their alerts! You guys totally made my day! And then, I got my first review…..EVER! Take my word for it, there was much rejoicing and proclaiming of my not-failure. Anyways, hope you like the new chapter; it's just a warm up to what happens next really. As for how long I plan on this story being….I'm not exactly sure. But I am sure that I am not a fan of doing things by halves, so this could get pretty long. It may move a bit slow at times, sorry if that irritates you; it's just how it goes in Beka's world! **

**I have been informed that reviews are like receiving cookies wrapped in hugs that were baked in unicorn awesomeness….so, for the sake of my taste buds, you should review! This is my first ever fanfic, so I can use all the feedback I can get! Tell me what you think of the story. Ask me what my favorite color is. Loudly announce your intent to marry Canada. I don't really mind, I'll read them all, and probably respond to you with much happiness and sparkles. **


	3. We're alone, aren't we?

**Definitely Not Business As Usual**

**By: BekaHasAPen**

**Chapter 3**: **We're Alone….Aren't We?**

**Disclaimer: Still not owning Merlin. Man, I can't accomplish anything!**

Waking up at dawn the next morning, Merlin felt as though he could have taken on the world. Celebrating his first full night of sleep in over a week, Merlin couldn't seem to stop the broad smile that stretched across his face. Nearby, Gwen was looking at him with concern, but that didn't matter. Merlin dared the sorcerer who had sent them to come and attack now; he would send him packing with a flick of his wrist.

Looking around, he noticed Morgana being helped up from where she was laying by Gwen. Huh. It seemed as though the 'Kings most beloved ward' wasn't too used to sleeping on the ground. All credit to her though; Morgana kept a smile on her face as she spoke with Uther, and had yet to complain about roughing it. Merlin was impressed.

All things considered, Merlin felt great, better than he had in weeks, and was ready to get going and get back to Camelot. As the small group readied themselves for their journey back, Merlin noticed Arthur looking at him with laughter in his eyes. But no, not even that was going to bother Merlin right now. He wasn't going to rise to the bait, he wasn't….

"What?" he asked the prince, caving into his unending need to ask questions. Arthur merely laughed aloud, and then tried to quiet his laughter into something that would not be noticed. As he tried desperately to avoid attracting his father's attention, Merlin drew in closer to the prince, eagerly awaiting his explanation. After over a minute of waiting however, Merlin got antsy.

"Come on, what? What's so funny?"

This seemed to only make the prince's laughter worse, but eventually he controlled it and leaned in to whisper in Merlin's ear.

"Death by daisy? Really, Merlin?" The prince began to laugh again as Merlin's face took on an interesting shade of red. Arthur continued, "I shall alert the king at once, that he must be ever vigilant, lest he wake up with a _daisy stem_ through his throat." And with that, Arthur lost the tentative control he had, and the laughter was back.

Still flushed from the realization that Arthur had somehow discovered what he was thinking, Merlin shoved Arthur away, muttering "Prat" as he did so. Arthur rebounded, saying "At least I don't plot to murder the king aloud when I sleep!"

Oh. That explained it. Merlin didn't even know he talked in his sleep. Thinking back, that would explain a lot of things. Why Gaius kept yelling at Merlin to stop staying up so late practicing magic when he wasn't, why sometimes Gaius referenced conversations Merlin didn't remember having, even why Merlin's room was such a mess in the mornings. If he was talking in his sleep, he could be doing magic as well. Unconsciously. Great, one more thing to worry about. Camelot couldn't come fast enough.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Merlin went over to Gaius, as he had _finally_ gotten Uther ready to depart the odd mountaintop. Honestly, the king took longer to get ready then Arthur and Morgana combined, and that was saying something. How he ever managed to get anything done was beyond Merlin.

Gaius looked over at Merlin as he approached. "Is everything alright?" he asked. Merlin just looked at him and said, "Well, at least we know that if someone kills Uther, I'm off the list of potential killers". And he laughed. Gaius looked confused, but couldn't question Merlin further, due to Uther's _finally_ standing and speaking aloud.

"We have dallied here long enough" he proclaimed, regal even when they were in a forest with no court to speak of, "It is time we returned to Camelot so we can deal with the evil sorcerer that sent us here." And with that those lovely words, they all set off.

It wasn't so bad actually. Merlin stayed with Gaius, just enjoying the time to himself, with no court to convince of his normality. In front of him, Gwen and Morgana stayed close together, Gwen comforting the other girl as she grew accustomed to the continuous walking. Merlin supposed he should feel bad for her, she had not lived anywhere outside of Camelot for a very long time, and wasn't used to the hardships of a peasant life, including walking; but really, he was in too good of a mood to be bothered by Morgana's struggling.

Although, he did not envy her one bit. Those…._things_ that passed as ladies shoes looked like they were made as some form of bizarre torture device.

Arthur, meanwhile, was leading the way, picking out a path with some weird prince radar that Merlin supposed he possessed, while Uther brought up the rear, ever vigilant for an attack as always.

Pendragons, honestly. He wasn't sure which of the two was the more paranoid of the lot.

They had probably been walking for about four hours, the sun was reaching the middle of the sky, when Arthur finally took pity on them and let them stop to rest by a little pool. A little pool that was fed by a waterfall….that came from the very cliff they had been perched on top of last night! Arthur had led them in a massive circle!

Merlin turned to shout this at Arthur, along with several other choice phrases (dollop-head and clotpole being featured heavily among them) when Gaius stopped him with a hand.

"Camelot is this way Merlin. So unless you fancied rappelling down that cliff at dawn with Uther, Morgana and myself this morning, Arthur has been leading us the correct way."

Spinning around, Merlin looked for the distant building that represented the castle and Camelot. It was straight ahead of them, exactly as Gaius had said. Oh. Well, no one kept Merlin around for his sense of geography!

Muttering, his good mood dampened a bit by being made a fool of twice in the same day, Merlin sat down near Arthur, who looked to be concentrating deeply on something. For a minute, Merlin wondered if he could interrupt, but decided it was best to leave the prince alone when he was using his brain for the first time in god knows how long. Merlin waited until the prince had stopped with his intense thinking-face, and had relaxed as much as he was likely to before speaking.

"Something troubling you, Sire?"

Arthur looked at him suspiciously for a moment before sighing. "Not really Merlin, it's just going to take us longer to get back to Camelot than I originally though. With the six of us all traveling together along the game trails I use, it's going to take us a good three days before we reach Camelot."

Idly noting Arthur's prince radar picked up game trails, and wasn't that a useful trait, Merlin thought about what the prince had said. Three days. Ugh. Merlin sincerely hoped they got to eat sometime in there; otherwise those three days would be absolute torture. Pendragons, in Merlin's professional experience, were very testy when they were not fed for periods lasting longer than a day at a time.

Still, three days wasn't so bad really. It had taken Merlin, walking as he had been, over a week to reach Camelot from Ealdor that first time, so very long ago. However, it seemed as though sharing this with Arthur had the opposite effect than what Merlin had hoped for. Instead of relaxing the prince a little bit, Merlin's words only seemed to make Arthur angry. His face grew stormy, and as he turned to Merlin, eyes sparking dangerously, Merlin knew this wasn't going to be fun.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand Merlin! It's fine for you to go missing, you're just a servant! But Camelot is currently missing not only its **Prince**, but its entire **Ruling Family**! This is far more important, with much higher stakes and consequences, than when you go missing!"

Well. There was no need for that. Merlin got up and moved away from Arthur, hoping this would discourage further blow-ups. Honestly, he was only trying to help. Still, Merlin supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Arthur had his moments where he was truly friendly towards Merlin, but when he was stressed, the younger boy was the first to feel the sting of Arthurs temper. After all, who was Merlin, really? Just a lowly servant, easily replaceable, lacking any form of right to complain of Arthur's treatment, and utterly unimportant to Camelot and its continued existence.

Sometimes, Merlin really hated the way things worked in Camelot.

Whilst Merlin was occupied in his thoughts and Arthur was calming down enough to resume his planning, the rest of the group was taking advantage of this time to catch their breath. Morgana and Gwen sat near the pond, conversing in low tones.

"When we get back to Camelot", Morgana was saying, "I do not believe I shall ever complain about a thing in the palace again!" She laughed. "Oh Gwen, how I have been spoiled with Uther".

Gwen began to protest, but Morgana interrupted, "No, it's the truth. Think on it. Before I became Uther's ward, I had my fair share of nights sleeping outdoors, traveling with my father. I was just a child then, but I had no problems 'roughing it'. Now look at me. Travel-weary after only one night out of doors." And she laughed again.

Morgana had changed a lot since the sleeping sickness and Merlin's poisoning, then healing, of her. Explaining everything to Morgana, about the spell attached to her and how to save Camelot and everyone in it, Morgana had willingly drunk the hemlock Merlin had acquired. When Morgause had appeared, Merlin had demanded she stop the attack. Then, after blasting her into Avalon, Merlin had healed Morgana, with one of Gaius 'emergency remedies'. ( No, it was magic, but shhhhh. Morgana didn't need to know that.)

Morgana had seemed happier since then, growing a little kinder each day and a little less angry at Uther, who had rushed to find her as soon as he awoke, and broke down at the sight of her healthy and unhurt. Yes, it was a new Morgana, and she found she quite liked this version of herself.

She still didn't particularly enjoy hiding her magic from Uther, but there she really had no choice. Uther would never budge in his hatred of magic. Still, she knew that Merlin and Gaius would keep her secret for her, and Merlin had even risked punishment by breaking into the restricted sections of the library to find her a beginning magic book. She had no idea that he would go to such lengths to help her, but he had. Yes, Merlin was a true friend, brave and loyal. Now if only Arthur would see that and start treating him better.

Suddenly, Morgana heard something. Something that could not be explained away as an animal or one of the other group members. No. this was….this was something else.

"Arthur?" Morgana called out, "Arthur, could you come here for a minute?"

Arthur came over, in face everyone did, because while Morgana was attempting to keep her voice calm and collected, it actually came out sounding just a tiny bit terrified, and Morgana terrified had never boded well for anyone in the past.

Merlin looked around, but didn't see anything that would appear to be the cause of Morgana's terror.

"What is it, Morgana?" Uther asked, immediately going over to comfort his precious ward.

Morgana looked up at them all, attempting to conceal the fear she felt.

"There's some….there's someone watching us."

The reaction to Morgana's words was instantaneous. Arthur pulled his sword out and began aggressively searching the forest around them, while Uther stood even nearer to Morgana, ready to defend her to the death.

Gaius continued talking to the poor girl, trying to get some more out of her. "How can you tell someone is watching Morgana?"

She looked up at him, and said, "I, I heard…something. In the forest."

Relaxing a bit at this, having found nothing that looked too threatening (apart from a rabbit that Arthur swore was glaring at him from its place under a tree) Arthur returned to Morgana's side, saying, "are you sure that it wasn't just an animal, or something you could have imagined? There doesn't look to be anything out there."

Morgana looked indignant. "Well how would you be able to tell anyway?" she snapped, "We're surrounded by trees and a cliff. You can't have looked everywhere!"

It was true; they were truly in deep forest now. Apart from the pool at their backs, above which rose the cliff they had come from, they were surrounded by trees. There could be an entire mob of bandits hiding twenty feet away and they wouldn't be able to see them until they moved.

"Alright Morgana, then what was it you heard that made you so sure there's someone else here? A voice, a sneeze, what?" Arthur asked her, going along with it for now. He didn't really think there was anything life-threatening there, it was most likely just her imagination getting the best of her, but he would indulge her.

Morgana looked to still be angry at him, like she knew he didn't believe her, but she answered him anyway. "If you must know, I heard someone—"

Suddenly, a laugh rang out from near the group. Very near. All of them jumped up, now on high alert.

"Someone laughing" Morgana finished, trying to stay calm.

The laugh rang out once again, washing over the now on super high, Defcon four and a half, alert group. For a long moment, no one did anything. No movement, no sound, they just stood there in silence, waiting.

"Sire," Gaius broke the silence, speaking urgently, "That is not the sorcerer who sent us here."

"Perhaps not," the king answered, "but who exactly would have business out in the middle of this forest apart from one who wished us harm? Or do you know who or what that was?"

Gaius had no answer; there were simply too many options.

Merlin didn't see any way around it. He was going to have to…..to….speak in front of Uther. Oh gods protect him.

Bracing himself for the imminent glare of 'you DARE to speak freely in my presence you lowly peasant?' Merlin spoke up. "It doesn't sound like it's dangerous."

Ah, yes. There it was. Uther should really have that glare trademarked, it was incredibly effective. He should try that on the sorcerers that showed up in Camelot to do away with him, it would probably work better than the soldiers did.

Luckily, Arthur spoke before his father could begin verbally flaying Merlin. "Oh really? Well, what exactly does it sound like then, Merlin? Please, share your vast knowledge with us."

Ignoring the jab, and the accompanying pang of hurt like usual in favor of finishing his sentence, Merlin continued on. "Well, it's just that….that didn't sound like an evil sorcerer's laugh." He swallowed, momentarily frozen, before Gwen took over for him, seeing that he couldn't get it out.

"It sounded like a child."

***Author's Note* (Again, if their existence offends you, just move on)**

…**.I am so sorry. I meant to have this chapter up much sooner than I actually did. It's actually been written for several days. Sadly, due to an unfortunate need to not flunk out of university, I was unavoidably detained from posting it. Or even typing it up on my laptop. It was a very sad time for me. BUT! This does come with an upside. See, this is my longest chapter yet, so go me! Extra long wordy thing, just to read! Also, I have the next chapter written as well! I just need to type that up, and I shall post that as well. Soooo, yes, that shall be my project. **

**Anyways, while we all wait for that to arrive, read this, review it, love it, dance with a chicken, commune with the antelope, praise the god of Spaghetti, and scream at the sky!**


	4. Are you coming out child?

**Definitely Not Business As Usual**

**By: BekaHasAPen**

**Chapter 3: Are you coming out child? On second thought…. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Merlin! (quietly sheds a tear)**

No one knew quite what to make of Gwen's proclamation. To be fair, Merlin thought, it wasn't as though they had to deal with children all that often. In fact…..apart from Mordred, who was creepy enough to not fully count as a child, Merlin couldn't recall anyone under the age of thirteen being involved in any of the courts adventures. Huh. That was strange. Statistically speaking, there had to be SOME children in Camelot.

Oh, right. Perspective. He could think about that later. Currently, there was a crisis to contain.

But…..how?

While Merlin stood there in thought, Uther managed to figure everything out. He stood up from his place by Morgana rapidly, and spoke, "We must find this child! They could be from some forest village, and could guide us to Camelot faster, or they themselves are lost, in which case we should rescue them."

Ignoring Arthur's look of indignant fury that his Princely game trail radar had been dismissed, Uther strode off into the direction that he had apparently decided the laughter had come from.

Not knowing what else there was to do, the rest of the group followed the king. Merlin was sure there was no way that this could end badly. Because Uther's judgment was never wrong. And he always knew the right thing to do. Right. Of course. Crap. Merlin went on high alert, figuring that they were most likely headed straight into a fiery trap of bloody doom.

About thirty yards from where they had started, they came upon Uther standing at the edge of the little pond. He had his head cocked to a side, as if he was trying to locate the child by its breathing pattern. Of course, Merlin thought that the king might be hindered a bit by the **waterfall** that he was standing next to, but he could be wrong. Maybe Kingly child-radar was the next step up from Princely game-trail sonar.

"Near as I can tell, this is where the child's laugh originated from" Uther declared. "Now, the question is, how do we draw it out? I can only hope that we did not frighten it away with our noise."

Apparently, Uther thought children worked the same way game animals did. So much makes sense about Arthur now. Nice to have that particular mystery solved.

Honestly, Merlin thought that it was incredibly unlikely that they had frightened the child away with their noise. The unseen child was in the middle of a vast forest, and, judging from the carefree laughter they had heard, was far more comfortable in it than they were.

However, Merlin figured it best to keep this opinion to himself. One 'lowly-peasant' Uther glare (not yet trademarked because that doesn't exist yet silly) was enough for a day, thank you very much. No, best to let Uther spin around in circles like a dog, hoping to miraculously catch a glimpse of the mystery child.

When spinning in circles failed to produce the desired effect, Uther turned to Gaius. "Why don't you attempt to draw the child out Gaius? You're good with children, it should respond to you."

Gaius looked apprehensive. "Sire, I am not that good with children. And to be completely honest, I'm not even sure that was a child."

"Nonsense Gaius you worry too much. What else could it be but a child? Now, try and sooth them into coming and meeting us, alright?" The king may have phrased it as a request, but that was most definitely an order.

Seeing no way out of this, Gaius sighed, then began speaking to the empty forest around them. Because that is what sane people do. (at least if they are working for Uther)

"Child, if you can hear me, please come out. We do not wish to harm you, we only want to meet you and ensure that you are in good health…" Trailing off, he gestured for someone else to continue.

Morgana stood up, and called out, "Please, we only want to help you. Won't you come and meet us?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Impressive. Greater beings than children (namely, the King of Camelot) had lost their will power in the face of Morgana.

They all stood there in silence for a bit, and just when Merlin was going to suggest that they simply move on, Arthur stood up. Oh no, not good. Arthur was **angry**. That never boded well for anyone, especially Merlin. Merlin pitied the poor unknown possibly-a-child thing.

"Enough of this foolishness! Reveal yourself at once, unknown being, or be forever labeled a traitor of Camelot!"

Well. That might get a reaction.

Arthur would have continued yelling at the trees (seriously, and the Pendragons wondered why people thought they were crazy), but Morgana intervened.

Grabbing him angrily, she hissed, "Now you've done it! Why can't you just keep quiet Arthur? There is no way that child is going to answer us now!"

Oh well, guess they would just have to head on back to Camelot then. Such a shame. Not that Merlin didn't want to meet the possibly incredibly lethal thing that was hiding from them in the forest, but some days you just can't have everything. And this was just one of those days.

As if to prove both Morgana and Merlin wrong at the same time, a voice suddenly rang out amongst the trees.

"Now, that is a horrible way to greet a person. I fear you have quite offended me. How are you planning to apologize?"

Great. Now the trees were arguing back.

Whirling around, Arthur searched in vain for the source of the voice. It seemed to come from all around them at once, the cliff face and the waterfall making the sound bounce strangely around them.

Seething, Arthur retaliated, screaming at the trees, "I don't need to apologize to you! You are the one hiding from us like a degenerate, we have done you no wrong! Now, show yourself!"

But no one appeared. Instead, the disembodied voice merely called back, "I fear we shall never get on at the rate you are going sir, and that simply won't do. Why don't you let someone else speak for a while? Perhaps then I might not wish to annoy them so much. Oh, and do stop swinging that sword everywhere, you're going to hurt the innocent trees."

Ooh, good point. Merlin could see the danger in a furious Arthur wielding a sharp object. Someone should stop him….oh, right. Grabbing Arthur's sword arm, Merlin turned Arthur to face him.

"It's not worth it, and you know it. If you attempt to maim everything that annoys you, I fear you will not only be needing a new manservant before long, but a new kingdom as well."

Praying that he wouldn't get smacked for his impudence, Merlin was pleased to see that instead of growing even angrier, Arthur's rage cooled a bit. He was still upset, but he no longer seemed in danger of spontaneously exploding into a pile of Princely ashes. Instead, Arthur sat down on the ground, muttering "Someone needs to reason with that boy. He can clearly see us, get him out in the open and level the playing field."

That, that was actually quite a good idea. Merlin approved.

Uther took Arthur's place by the trees and called out, "Boy, I am King Uther Pendragon, and I would be quite honored if you would grace us with your presence."

There was no mistaking that regal voice for anything less than that of a king. Merlin found himself willing the arrival of the boy anxiously.

After a somewhat lengthy pause, (during which Arthur's eye started twitching) the child's voice rang out again.

"Sorry, but did you say Uther? As in King Uther Pendragon? Of Camelot? That Uther?" The boy sounded incredulous. Perhaps he had never been to Camelot.

Uther took the boy's incredulity in stride though, merely smiling and saying "Indeed, that is what I am known by. Now, may we know what it is that you are known by? Or perhaps see your person?"

Never let it be said that Uther didn't know how to negotiate. Even Merlin was reluctantly impressed, and he **really** didn't like King Uther.

So, it came as no shock to him when the young voice called back, "As you wish! I shall be there in a moment!"

Uther looked very pleased with himself, as he turned and faced his son. "Now, was that so difficult Arthur?"

And…there went Merlin's attempts at keeping Arthur's temper in check. Arthur was visibly fuming again, and this time when Merlin went over to speak to him, Arthur shot him a look that promised instant death if he was touched. Merlin wisely stopped approaching.

The girls' were enjoying the show though, collapsing into fits of giggles at Arthur's anger and Merlin's caution. Apparently the removal of imminent danger made females susceptible to humor. Good to know.

Arthur's face grew continuously cloudier, until…"ARRRGGH! What is taking this child so long? I swear, when that boy gets over here, I am going to teach him a lesson in manners he won't soon forget!"

As if he were waiting for Arthur to lose his temper, the boy's voice spoke again at that very moment, and this time, the group was _almost_ able to locate it. Near as Merlin could tell, it was coming from….above them?

"Well, if that is you goal sir, I fear that you will be waiting for me for quite some time. Ah well, I am feeling kind today. I suppose I shall come meet you all in spite of your lack of manners."

Startled, everyone in the group looked up. (oh please, Merlin thought, don't be like the last time we all looked up at some unknown thing) Thankfully, it wasn't. However, Merlin was definitely going to have to start anticipating aerial attacks. First the sorcerer back in Camelot, now this kid!

As this thought passed through Merlin's mind, a small body passed next to it.

Actually, the boy fell next to Merlin, literally missing him by inches. It was quite the experience. Definitely going in his list of "Most interesting ways I've almost died".

Looking around to see where the child could have jumped from to get that much speed built up, Merlin realized that the only thing that the boy could possibly have jumped from was the, was the…the top of the cliff that they had spent the night on? But, that was impossible.

Although, from the looks of open-mouthed shock on everyone else, Merlin appeared to be correct about that cliff-jumping…..but still, it wasn't possible! No one could survive a fall like that, much less _control_ where they landed…

Putting that thought, and all the other disconcerting ones that accompanied it from his mind, Merlin forced himself to focus on the jumper in person, rather than the jump he had made.

Well, at least Merlin assumed it was a he. It was difficult to say for sure really. Arthur had been addressing him as a boy at least, so there was something. The child (for Merlin was certain that it was a child, it was too short to be anything else. Thank god for that at least) was hooded, wearing a cloak that reminded Merlin rather uncomfortably of the one that Mordred always wore.

Oh, please don't be Mordred. Merlin didn't think he could handle another meeting with the druid boy right now. Apart from the cloak (which was most certainly _not_ Mordred's, nope, no way, impossible) the only discernible features on the figure were two skinny arms, and a pair of black trousers tucked into equally black boots.

Merlin couldn't see any hair peeking out from under the hood, so did that mean it wasn't Mordred? Those curls of his had to be way longer than that hood would cover up by now…

While he was taking all of this in, (and wasn't Merlin so proud of his brain and its incredibly ability to absorb information in a moment of utter shock, yes he was) Arthur apparently recovered from his own state of intense shock, for he strode forwards in the direction of the child and spoke.

"How did you survive that fall? And what were you doing on top of that cliff? And just who are you? And what- "

The child cut the prince off, holding up a hand for silence. Shocked once more, Arthur fell silent, though Merlin thought that it probably had more to do with the fact that someone had actually DARED to shush him than any actual desire to obey the, (Boy? Druid? Child? Thing?) the person.

The child-person spoke, "You ask a lot of questions, you know that? But to answer them: I didn't fall, I jumped, I wasn't on the cliff-top, and I'm probably your best chance of getting out of the forest. Any questions?"

The group merely stared at the child. Collectively. It was a group stare. That made it less embarrassing for all of them, being confused so utterly by a child.

It was Morgana who managed to connect everything together first. Looking at the child with something that Merlin could only describe as apprehension, she spoke. "What were you doing climbing that cliff? And how did you come to be in this forest in the first place?"

The child spoke again, but much nicer and less riddle-like than before.

"Now there is some courtesy. I thank you milady. Here is the truth, in exchange for your kindness: I awoke yesterday with a desire to visit the Crags of Telemair, which is that cliff you see above. Upon arriving at the base of the waterfall, I decided that it would take far too long to work my way around to where the ground was gentle, so I figured I would do a bit of cliff-climbing instead. I was about a third of the way up, resting on a convenient shelf of rock, when I noticed you strangers wandering about in a weird zig-zag. It was actually quite funny to watch, especially since you kept coming within spitting distance of the path and then turning aside at the last moment."

Princely path-finding radar. Utter failure. Merlin looked at Arthur in annoyance, to which Arthur responded to with a face that seemed to say, "Well how was I supposed to know?" before he stood up. Clearly, Arthur was done with the distractions.

"Listen boy, I know that I for one am not someone who idly trusts strange people they meet in a forest. Even if it is a miniature person. Now, remove your cloak and name yourself! Are you a friend of Camelot, or a threat? And how are we supposed to know if you bear us ill-will or not?"

The boy laughed at that, and oh yeah, there was the childish laugh that started all of this mess. Good to know that this was the source of it at least.

When the boy finished laughing, he turned to Arthur, (who, in Merlin's opinion, was doing a fantastic job of controlling his anger, see, his eye was barely twitching) and said, "Oh Arthur…I'm assuming you're Arthur Pendragon, right?" The prince merely nodded, wanting the boy to get on with it. The boy waited a moment, then continued when he saw that no other answer would be forthcoming.

"Prince Arthur, I am no more capable of causing you harm then you are capable of summoning forth a dragon to attack me." And the boy broke into laughter again.

Somewhat mollified, Arthur nevertheless pressed on. "If that is true, then you won't mind showing us your face. Just so that we can be sure you are not a threat."

The boy cocked his head for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'm not sure what good it will do, but if it will make you feel better, then so be it."

And he pulled off his hood, taking the whole cloak with him.

The company stood there in silence, shocked once more.

(this was really becoming a pattern. They were going to have to learn how to react better, especially considering how often they were shocked by things)

While staring, some part of Merlin's very helpful brain that was still working commented that at least it wasn't Mordred. Because it wasn't. It wasn't a boy either.

In fact, it wasn't even a child at all.

For in front of them, no longer hidden underneath a heavy cloak, there stood a girl.

***Authors Note Time!* (you might consider reading this one)**

**So. It has come to this. No, I'm just kidding! I've just always wanted to say that. Anyways, NEW CHAPTER! Woohoo! Oh, and guess what? I am like a week away from being done with uni for the semester! That means that I will soon be able to update more regularly. However, in my desperate attempts to avoid studying, I have accomplished something. I have basically plotted out where I think this story is going, and I have something to tell you. Get ready people. Because it appears that I am in this for the long haul. The dream that originally started this story, when put into context, means that I am going to be writing for a very long time. We're talking chapters and chapters people. Unless of course, I get stuck. But let's just hope that doesn't happen. 'Cuz that would make me sad. **

**Also, IMPORTANT THING! I was trying to decide on pairings for this story, and after much deliberation, it looks like we've got Merthur, people. If this offends you and everything you stand for, again, I apologize. But it's the only pairing I can see working out here, so there you have it. Don't freak out, currently there's not really anything going on between them. Your possibly allergic to boy-love eyes are safe. For now. But no promises. This is your warning. There will be some form of romance between the prince and our favorite warlock. At some point. **

**Alright, after the world's longest author note ever, I shall close off by saying thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited my story! You guys make me smile at a computer screen and look like a crazy-head in public! So by all means, keep it up!**

**The new chappie is almost complete, and should be out sometime in the next week. Until then,**

**Kiss a waffle, Tango across the desks in your art class because you can, play "The Floor Is Lava", practice the ancient art of fire-eating in a library, and ROCK ON!**


	5. At Least It's Not Mordred

**Definitely Not Business As Usual**

**By: BekaHasAPen**

**Chapter 5: At Least It Wasn't Mordred….Actually, This Might Be Worse**

**Disclaimer: Unless everyone has neglected to tell me, I am fairly certain that I do not own Merlin.**

**Warnings: Um….extremely slow-moving Merlin/Arthur? Does that need a warning…eh, who knows. Other than that, nada.**

"…..You're a girl?" was the first thing that came tumbling out of Merlin's mouth. The girl (who Merlin could now see couldn't be THAT much younger than him, maybe thirteen or so) shot him a look that had him tripping over his words in his haste to backtrack. "Not that there's anything wrong with—I mean, it's obvious now that you're—not that I was—I mean, I just— "Merlin couldn't seem to stop the torrent of horridly not helpful words that came rushing out of his mouth. This was why he didn't talk to girls! His mouth was traitorous when it came to speaking to them!

Thankfully, Gwen took pity on him. Bless her and her female heart. She stepped in, cutting off Merlin's word tsunami. "I think what he's trying to say is that he just wasn't expecting you to be female. None of us were. You did give us a bit of…a shock, after all."

What she said was true. Merlin had never even entertained the idea that she was female. Honestly, he was able to see her now and he hardly believed it. This girl, whoever she was, looked like no girl that Merlin had ever seen before.

She was small in stature, which was what had led Merlin to assume that she was a child. However, now that the cloak was off her, the group could see what it had been concealing. The girl stood proudly, dressed as a man. She wore a pair of black trousers, tucked into her boots, and a green tunic. And what was stranger, the clothes fit her. They were most certainly hers, and not borrowed from someone like Merlin had seen Gwen do when she needed to pass as a man. Then, there was her hair. Merlin assumed that her hair had been tied back, but as the girl shifted a bit, Merlin realized that no, it hadn't been, her hair was just….short. As in…well, short. The girl's hair was a dirty blonde color, and messy (aftereffects of the hooded cloak and the mountain jumping, Merlin suspected) and just barely reached her shoulders. Merlin figured she was probably about twelve, maybe thirteen. A teenage girl in boy's clothing, with a boy's haircut, and a child's laugh. Well, that was unexpected.

Whilst Merlin was busy observing these details about the not-Mordred-not-male-not-child girl, Arthur was getting over his shock. (and seriously, Merlin thought they needed some kind of shock training, because this was getting way too common to have the Pendragons freezing for this long) Anyways, after Arthur finished getting over his shock, slowly, the first thing he did was burst into laughter. Great. This was gonna end well.

"And here I was worrying about you being a threat to us!" he managed to get out amongst his laughter. "I can't believe I got so worked up over a little girl! You rally had us going! Worked up over absolutely nothing!" and he dissolved into laughter once more.

Idly, Merlin noted that Morgana and Gwen did not look exactly _pleased_ with Arthur's declaration. Well, Gwen looked not exactly pleased. Morgana…..dear god, Morgana looked _pissed._ However, Merlin didn't really have time to dwell on that, or the doom that it foretold, because if Morgana looked angry, then the strange girl looked…_murderous_. Not good.

She glared at Arthur (and wow, that glare was almost as impressive as Uther's yet-to-be-trademarked Filthy Peasant Glare) and spoke, "Oh, so just because I'm a girl, I'm not a threat to you? Not dangerous?" When Arthur nodded his assent, still chortling, the girl just stopped and looked at him for a long moment. Eventually, shaking her head, she spoke again, "Well then, how, pray tell, do you explain her?" She gestured to Morgana as she continued, "You seemed plenty wary of her before!"

The girl's words didn't have the desired effect. Instead of looking shamefaced, Arthur merely smirked. "Of course I am. Morgana is terrifying! You, on the other hand? Not so much. But don't feel too bad about it, you're young yet. Morgana is almost eighteen, she is a woman grown. You? You're tiny still! What are you, eleven, maybe twelve years old?"

The girl looked a bit depressed at that, which confused Merlin at first. However, at her murmur of "I'm sixteen", Merlin understood. Sixteen…She was only a year younger than himself and Morgana. Arthur was only nineteen, that was only three years older! And yet, the difference between them was...at least six inches. The girl couldn't be more than five four, and….just, wow. Merlin was not expecting that. Genetics were a funny thing, he supposed.

Meanwhile, Uther had decided that things had gone on long enough without his input, and so he jumped headfirst into the conversation.

"Little one, we would be most grateful to you if you would assist us in returning to Camelot. Do you know the way there perchance? Or perhaps you know of someone who we could get to guide us? I fear I am not familiar with this particular forest."

The girl looked up at him. "What are you doing way out here in the first place? Seems to me like an awfully long way to go to see a waterfall."

Uther looked like he was going to answer the girl (honestly, give him a pair of big eyes to look into and the man was a puddle of goo), but Arthur stopped him.

"Before we tell you anything of our purpose here, how about you tell us something?"

He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

When it became clear that the girl had no intention of doing anything other than staring at him blankly, Arthur added. "Your name, for a start? We can't just address you as 'girl' for the next three days!"

The girl thought about this for a long moment. (and by this point, Merlin was fairly sure she was just playing the idiot to get a rise out of Arthur. What's worse, it was working.)

Once Arthur began to seethe visibly, the girl spoke again, "No, I suppose you cannot. However, I suppose that under the circumstances, names must be given. Therefore, for the next day, you may address me as Arya."

Arthur looked confused. "Why just the one? What are we to call you on the other days? Is that even your real name?"

The girl, Arya, Merlin reminded himself, laughed again, that same childish laugh that had begun all of this in the first place. "Well," she said, "hopefully nothing."

At the groups collective look of confusion, Arya continued, "If all goes well, we should be in Camelot by sunset tomorrow."

Oh. That made sense, Merlin supposed.

He looked at Arya again. What a strange girl she was. Even by Merlin's standards, and that was saying something. (Freya…Bastet…you get the picture)

Morgana spoke again, "So, you will guide us back to Camelot Arya?"

Arya smiled at her, her face the literal picture of youth and innocence.

"Of course"

***Author's Note***

**Ugh, this one was…difficult. To say the least. It's a filler chapter I suppose, to tide you guys over until the next one is ready. There really wasn't any way to make it fit with the last chapter, or the one after it, so it just ended up being a really short chapter. My apologies in advance. **

**Also, I would like to inform you all that I have officially left my parents' house. Yes, it is true. I am an adult. Well, sort of. I've got my own place though, so that counts for something! Right? Right. Well, possible new freedoms aside, I hopefully will have more time to post now, since I don't have to worry about my father discovering my secret fanfiction world. Also, I realized that the majority of you actually read these little notes, and I just have to say, you are amazing. Yes you, right there. (points out of screen) **

**Alright, well, until next time: Read, review, play come-into-my-castle, ride your bike across a busy highway like a boss, wander your favorite haunted building, buy a pregnancy cake, and build a fan at midnight!**


	6. Darlings and Day-Mares

**Definitely Not Business As Usual**

**By: BekaHasAPen**

**Chapter 6: Darlings and Day-Mares**

**Disclaimer: What? What is this? I don't own Merlin? How DARE YOU! oh. Sorry mister police officer, of course. You're right. Sorry to have disturbed you…**

**Warnings: For the life of me, I can't find anything you should be warned of…maybe bad language? Maybe? A POV change? Honestly people, that's about the extent here…for now….Mwahaahaahahahaha!**

As the hours went by on their long trek back to Camelot, Arya somehow was adopted into the Royal Family. No, really. Merlin could practically _see_ Uther taking her on as a second Morgana, albeit a younger, blonder one. For the life of him, Merlin couldn't understand why, but within three hours, Arya had been told the entire story of how they had all come to end up in that forest.

To be fair, Merlin suspected that Uther hadn't meant to tell her as much as he had. Arya was just apparently a really fantastic listener. Watching her, he could see how Uther had gotten carried away. She was just so…_enthusiastic_ with her listening. She never criticized Uther, always praised his (and, to a lesser extent, Arthur's) actions, and (and this is where Merlin was getting concerned) she knew how to ask questions in such a way that neither of the Pendragons would be able to stop themselves from answering, even if they wanted to.

It was, Merlin thought, a bit of a weakness in the King. Give the Pendragon a 'helpless' girl, be it Morgana or now Arya, throw in some eye flutters and demure looks, and he couldn't help but feel protective. Merlin got the feeling that, just like Morgana, Arya wasn't nearly as helpless as she appeared to Uther.

How else had she gotten to the cliff where they had met her? You know, the cliff she had been _climbing_? And she knew her way through this forest as well as Arthur knew the palace back in Camelot. Not to mention her impressive skills with irritating Arthur, a talent that Merlin had thought he possessed the highest degree of.

But whatever, it wasn't Merlin's place to judge her. (At least, according to Uther it wasn't)

So Merlin kept his mouth shut as Arya led them all along the path (the clearly visible, easily navigated, way to be _Arthur_) back to Camelot.

* * *

It was nearing sunset when Gwen worked up the nerve to approach Arya, who was at that moment listening to a supposedly 'historically accurate' retelling of Uther's purging of magic from Camelot. "And then," Uther was saying, "I, along with a group of my finest men, infiltrated the place where the remaining magic users were reported to be hiding. We waited until just after the midnight bells had rung, and then we crept into—"

"Excuse me, my lady?" Gwen broke in timidly.

(She made a mental note to never agree to use 'guess the number' to decide who had to interrupt the King again. Merlin was scarily good at guessing the numbers in Gaius' head. She'd say he was cheating, but Morgana had been watching the whole time, and didn't see Gaius or Merlin signal to the other. No, Merlin was just…clever. Darn that boy and his rarely-used cleverness!)

Anyways, Gwen had interrupted the conversation between the King and the girl, and while Uther looked none too pleased with her, Gwen noticed that Arya merely looked…confused.

"Are you addressing me?" she asked Gwen. Gwen nodded her assent, but before she could continue speaking, Arya laughed. "Silly girl, I am most certainly not royalty! There is no need for you to address me as 'My Lady' of _anything_! The only thing I have ever been Lady of is my own home, and only that because my mother is gone. Please, just call me Arya. I have no fancy title, no Lordship of castle to my name. And I certainly do not need the flattery."

Gwen smiled; a bit more relaxed now that she was sure that Arya wasn't some little Lady that was going to demand her subservience. "Well, Arya", Gwen said trying out the girls' name, "I was just wondering—I mean—Merlin and myself—well, Gaius too I suppose—and probably their Graces as well if—not that there is a problem if—not that I mean _you_ aren't—"

Darn it! She had been doing so well too! There went all her skills at speaking words apparently.

Thankfully, Arya had understood Gwen. "Are you by any chance wondering if we will be stopping for the night soon? And if there will be food perhaps?"

Gwen nodded, grateful that the girl had understood her hodgepodge of a question. Yes, that was indeed what she had been trying to ask Arya. Goodness knows Gwen knew how to speak perfectly well, she'd been doing it for years, but she just got so tongue-tied sometimes! It usually only happened around strangers though, so she supposed she was lucky. Poor Merlin. Apart from herself and Morgana, she had never seen him speak more than a full sentence to a girl without stuttering.

While Gwen was lost in her thoughts, Arya got tired of waiting for a response from Gwen, and instead just answered her own question. "As a matter of fact Gwen, it is Gwen, right?" (Gwen nodded because that seemed to be the safest course of action. She couldn't quite trust herself to speak correctly around this strange girl) Arya continues, "Anyways Gwen, we will be stopping for the night fairly soon actually. We should be getting fairly close to where I made camp yesterday, and where I left some of my supplies for the trip hidden."

Gwen couldn't keep all of the relief off of her face, relaxing entirely now and giving Arya a genuine smile. She decided to try speaking again, a bit slower this time.

"That is a fine thing to hear Arya. I fear I have not thanked you yet for agreeing to aid us. I really am quite grateful to you, and I know that everyone else is as well, though they may not express their gratitude as I do."

Arya moved closer to Gwen, letting Uther and Arthur get ahead of them a little ways. "Truth be told, it is no real trouble" said the girl. "When I saw your group from the cliff, I was intrigued. And when I learned of who you were, I knew I had to help you. I have long desired to meet you all. The tales of your adventures in Camelot are widely famous all over, even where I come from."

"You mean the tales of Uther and Arthur? And the famed Knights of Camelot? I fear that there are not many stories of 'The Brave Adventures of Gwen the Handmaiden."

Arya smiled at that, before turning to her with a more serious face. "Do not sell yourself short Gwen. There are tales of you floating about the world, just as there are tales about Arthur. All of the people in Camelot's castle are known, for so many interesting things seem to happen there. I mean, Morgana isn't a Knight of Camelot, or the prince, but everyone knows about her."

Gwen shook her head, "Yes, because she is Uther's ward. I'm just a handmaiden. I'm nobody important, silly girl."

"Stop that! You are important Gwen. I know it. It's not just the nobles who can have stories told about them! What about Gaius? He isn't noble. He's just the court physician. But you could walk into any random town in Camelot, and many in Mercier, and say his name, and people would have stories to tell you about him. So yes, he is not a noble, but he is important, just as you are important."

Gwen still wasn't convinced. It was sweet of Arya to try and make her feel important, but she knew her place in the world. She was content with it as well. She didn't need Arya to give her a false sense of entitlement.

Seeing this, Arya began again. "Okay, so, how about this: that boy over there with Arthur, the dark haired one, I take it he is Arthur's manservant?" Gwen nodded. "Okay, so he is a nobody. Not of noble birth, not from a particularly prominent family. Is he unimportant? Because I have to say, I have heard some tales about the messes Prince Arthur and his manservant get themselves into. Are people making those up?"

Gwen, in spite of herself, was drawn in by Arya. "Of course not! All those stories are true, and I should know! I was there for a bunch of them! I'm…I'm…."

"Important too?" Arya asked with a smile tugging on her lips.

Oh, she was good.

Gwen smiled, giving in. "Yes. I am important. And Merlin, well, he's important too. He is truly loyal to Arthur, and he always puts up with him, which let me tell you, can be…" she trailed off.

Arya's face, which had been completely open and warm since they had begun their journey homeward, had suddenly paled to a ghostly white pallor as Gwen spoke.

"Arya?"

No response.

"Arya, is something the matter?"

Nothing.

Not good.

As Gwen grew more worried, she began waving a hand in front of Arya's face to try and get a reaction out of her. (It failed) Arya's eyes were fixed on something in the distance behind Gwen. Frantically, Gwen tried to figure out what it was. All she could see were trees! Nothing to make Arya freeze up like she had.

Arya blinked. Slowly. And then, she turned to face Gwen.

(Let it be known, by this point, Gwen was freaking out. The King would _kill_ her if she had broken his new favorite ward-to-be)

Arya's eyes were blank, as if she was somewhere very far away. She spoke, but Gwen got the feeling that it wasn't her Arya was speaking to.

In a strangely…flat voice, entirely different than the young, fresh voice she had had all day, Arya spoke.

"…so…so that's…always thought….but never…I missed…here? But…protect….sense…why?"

Gwen didn't know what was going on here, nor could she interpret a meaning from Arya's words, but she did know that whatever it was that Arya had seen had scared her, and that what was currently happening in Arya's mind could not be healthy.

So, she did what any logical maidservant would do. She grabbed Arya into a fierce hug while shouting for Gaius to come and help her.

(In retrospect, a logical maidservant probably would have attempted to help in a way that didn't create mass panic, but Gwen didn't exactly think of that. She thought Uther was going to have a heart attack then and there. Regardless, her objective was achieved. Gaius rushed over to help.)

Gwen's shout and the grabbing of her had shocked Arya out of her trance-like state. And she was quite adamant that she was fine, despite all of Gwen's concern. She denied Gaius' offer to check her over and make sure she was fine, and insisted that she had just gotten lost in her thoughts for a moment, and had a day-mare. But when Uther asked what the day-mare had been about, Arya became rather….tight-lipped. Eventually she just said that she had dreamt about something bad happening to her father, and it just really freaked her out.

Gwen wasn't entirely satisfied, but she let it go. As they continued on, Gwen thought privately that Arya just didn't want to tell them what it was she had seen that had frightened her so. But it really wasn't her place, so she let it go. After all, Arya would tell them if she thought they were in any real danger, so why not let her keep her secrets?

* * *

That night, as they sat around a campfire and ate the provisions that Arya had brought out with her, Merlin reflected on the….day. God, had it really only been a day? It felt a lot longer than that to Merlin.

No matter, at least they got to rest someplace warmer tonight, with a fire and with food in their bellies. Much better than last night. It really was a stroke of luck that they had met Arya in the woods when they did. Apparently there weren't any _real_ places to rest on the road back. Without Arya, the group would have gone the full three days Arthur had predicted without a bite to eat other than what they could find. (And that…that would not have been an enjoyable time for ANYONE)

It struck Merlin as odd that there would be no villages, towns, or even a farm, but there would be a road. Come to think of it, several things were beginning to strike Merlin as odd, the biggest of which was the fact that neither Uther nor Arthur seemed to know where they were.

They were within two days travel of Camelot apparently, but neither of the men had any memory of this place, this road, this path at all. Nor did Merlin for that matter! And while he may not be very good at geography, he could read a map. And he had seen a map of Camelot before.

(Arthur had one. He showed it to him one day.)

He was fairly certain he would have remembered seeing a massive forest with a MOUNTAN somewhere on the map.

Perhaps it was some trick of the sorcerers? I mean, it wasn't unheard of for transporting someone magically to affect the landscape…

And then, there was Arya's weird day-mare moment.

One minute, she and Gwen were gossiping away as if they were bosom buddies, and the next Arya's gone pale as a ghost and silent as a grave! What was all that about? Gwen seemed sure it was something Arya had seen in the forest, but Merlin wasn't convinced. I mean, come on. Seeing creepy things in forest? Now _that_ was a little bit too clichéd, even for them.

So. Mountain. Day-mare. Those were the big things that Merlin was struggling with.

As he lay down to sleep near Arthur by the slowly-dying fire, Merlin thought of one more thing he was struggling with.

Arya herself.

They had been in need of help and she had appeared, which Merlin was grateful for. He was sure the King was as well, and that Uther would most likely honor the girl immensely when they returned to the castle. He was growing fond of her.

But still, Merlin mused as he drifted off to sleep, it was odd.

Arya said she had come from Camelot, where she lived.

Now, Merlin didn't know everyone in the town by any means, but it still seemed strange that none of them had ever run into her before.

And stranger yet that she hadn't known who Uther was, or even Arthur, before they introduced themselves.

Howe could you live in Camelot and not know the King?

* * *

***AUTHOR'S NOTE TIME***

**Woooohoooooo! I have updated! I gotta say, it was pretty sketchy there for awhile. I moved to a new dorm, got a HORRIBLE new roommate, had my family visit me! Yikes! But hey! I updated it, and in the end, that's really all that matters. Besides, I have some awesome ideas for where the story is headed next, so hopefully I'll update sooner. **

**But seriously, I just want to say that I love you people. I got a guest reviewer who read my story, and then reviewed ALL the chapters! And it made me smile. Lots. I actually have them saved on my computer. **

**Oh, also! I'm currently in the midst of a terrible battle of wills to get caught up on Supernatural. So, if I suddenly drop off the face of the Earth...you know why.**

**Let me see, let me see, am I forgetting anything? OOOOHH!**

**I GOT A TUMBLR! **

**Yes, I have finally broken down and gotten the ultimate time-wasting tool. And so, if you people have Tumblrs, you should follow me! And then I will follow you! And we can all be one big happy stalker family! Wouldn't that be just lovely?**

**Right, so like I said. My Tumblr. It's the same name: BekaHasAPen. the link is .com. **

**Alright, that's it for now. So my good people, until next time: read, review, write your own companion fic, send it to me, have our fics fall in love and get married, and adopt 2.5 fictional children, and a dog, named swizzlestick, because that's just such a cool name, and we can all grow old together, in our fictional little world!**


	7. Does no one else see this?

**Definitely Not Business As Usual**

**By: BekaHasAPen**

**Chapter 7: Does no one else see this?**

**Disclaimer: …You know, technically, the legend of Merlin is over a hundred years old…well over a hundred years. So…the copyright doesn't really apply anymore, does it? Sigh….of course it does. And thus, I do not own Merlin.**

**Warnings: Language, swearing….um…maybe…illegal use of magic? Wait, is that illegal here? Maybe? Uh, well, better safe than sorry! Merthur build-up, you know, all the usual stuff. **

The next morning dawned crisp and clear. And without surprises. Fantastic. That was Merlin's favorite way to begin a day.

Well, second favorite. His absolute favorite way to begin a day was around noon, but sadly this rarely happened. He would have to be dying for Gaius to allow him to sleep in that much, and even then, Arthur would still most likely summon him.

Speaking of Arthur….Merlin had best wake him before anyone (read-Uther) found yet another opportunity to expound upon Merlin's utter failure as a manservant. It was far too early for that speech. Besides, he heard it from Arthur often enough as it is.

Merlin turned over, ready to get up and wake the prince. And came face to face with Arthur's very much awake self, watching Merlin with a smirk.

"Aw, up so soon? And I was enjoying the story! It was just getting good." He laughed before getting to his feet.

Merlin laughed too, although his was more of a cover for his terror than anything else.

They needed to get back to Camelot. And soon. Sooner or later (and Merlin was betting on _sooner_ with his luck) his sleep talking that was so amusing to Arthur now was going to incriminate him to the Prince in some way. Or worse, Uther might overhear. And then Merlin would be sentenced to death for plotting to murder the King with the help of the royal Florists.

Merlin wasn't sure he could handle having that on his conscience. They were lovely people, the florists were, two women who always snuck Merlin a bloom of some sort when he went in there.

Shaking the last of the sleep off, Merlin noticed Arthur was still looking at him.

"Planning to get up sometime today, Merlin? Or perhaps you would like to wait until you grow wings and can _fly _back to Camelot?"

Hah. Haha. Oh, Arthur had no idea. (And that was as it should be.) "Alright, I'm up, no need to be such a prat" he joked.

Arthur leaned down and helped him up. "But what kind of Prince would I be if I didn't wake my manservant? I mean, everyone knows it is the duty of the prince to tend to his manservant. Anything else would simply be…" He trailed off into laughter at the look on Merlin's face. Punching him half-heartedly only made Arthur laugh more.

"Prat" muttered Merlin, "Must we go over all of my failings at this early hour, or might we spread them throughout the day, Sire?"

Arthur, whose laughter had _finally_ subsided, was about to reply when a different voice called out.

"Alright, if everybody's ready, we had best be off. We want to make Camelot by nightfall, right?"

It was Arya. Merlin was still confused about the girl, (she didn't make sense!) but she had a point. It was still a long walk back to Camelot. And God knows, the sooner they got back, the better. For everyone.

"Come, we can eat on the way. I don't know about you, but I for one would _love_ to sleep inside tonight." And with that, Merlin and Arthur's conversation was finished. Arthur gave him a nod and went off to see to Morgana and his father. Merlin figured that was his cue to do the same, so he went over to the man who was like a father to him, and the only sister he had ever known.

* * *

Gwen gave him a smile as he walked over, and Gaius spoke to him. "A good night's rest has done you a world of good it would seem; you look healthier than you have in a month." Merlin smirked.

"Well, at least I don't have to walk nearly as far to wake his Royal Highness like this."

Even Gwen giggled at that.

"Come on", she said, "we'd best be getting going. Looks like they've already started without us, and we don't want to be left behind."

No, Merlin thought, no they did not.

The small company made decent time (at least, that's what Arya said when they stopped to rest)

And indeed it seemed that way to Merlin, for the castle he had deemed Camelot (for he wasn't entirely sure, because supposedly they were only half a day away, but still, nothing looked familiar) was growing ever larger in front of them.

As the castle grew in their sights, the questions in Merlin's mind grew as well. He had been dwelling on his list of things that didn't make any sense all morning, and he still hadn't made any progress in figuring any of them out. (He did toy briefly with the idea "magical warped shared dream" but decided against it after pinching himself resulted in a spark of pain. Likewise, this being the afterlife and this being Avalon were also discarded.)

Finally, he couldn't take it any longer. He needed to bring his worries to the attention of someone else, if only to ensure that he wasn't slowly going insane. Damn. This would likely end in humiliation.

Merlin approached Arthur cautiously. (Come on, who else would he talk to? Uther would ignore him, Gaius would just dismiss his concerns, Gwen and Morgana would tell him he was being paranoid and Arya…well, actually Merlin had no idea what Arya would do, but that was sort of the problem wasn't it?) The only reasonable course of action was to speak to Arthur, so as they were all finishing up their meal, Merlin turned to the Prince sitting next to him and, taking a deep breath to steady himself, began.

"Alright Arthur, I know this is going to sound strange, but just hear me out" he began. Arthur didn't even look up from his bread. "Oh, have you finally decided to tell me what's been eating at you all day?"

What?

At Merlin's look of surprise, Arthur just scoffed. "Please, Merlin, give me a little credit. I know you. And I know firsthand just how much you like to chatter on. Being silent all morning? As well as when we stopped to rest? Kind of a giveaway that something is bothering you." He frowned, and leaned forward. "What is it?" Merlin hesitated. Arthur just looked at him. "I promise, I'll hear you out before I say anything."

Okay. He could do this. "Well, it's just that." Merlin paused. Maybe he couldn't do this. No! He could do this! He needed to do this. His resolve strengthened, Merlin just decided to get it over with fast.

"Don't you think all of this is weird? I mean, apparently we're only hours from Camelot, but I don't recognize any of this land! And I know you don't either! In fact, we needed a guide just to get us this far, and you've been hunting in the forest since you were a child! And another thing, isn't it interesting how a girl from Camelot just lands, literally _lands, _at our feet to guide us back? And don't even get me started on Arya herself. How come none of us have ever seen her in the city before? How did she not know who you were on sight? Or Uther? She lives in Camelot, how can she not know what the King or the Prince looks like? It doesn't make any sense! And then there's that bloody cliff we landed on. Where did that even come from? I don't remember there being a forest in Camelot with one really tall cliff in it! None of this is making any sense Arthur, and no one else seems to notice it but me!"

Panting from his rant, Merlin chanced a glance at Arthur's face, only to see him lost in apparent thought. Good. That was promising. Maybe Arthur would finally see what Merlin had been seeing all along. That would be a nice change from the usual, wouldn't it?

But, because that was not how Merlin's life worked, Arthur did _not_ see Merlin's point.

After a little thought, Arthur's dismissed Merlin's concerns. (And Merlin knew he did, he could see it in his eyes. Arthur wasn't the only one who could notice things about people)

"Look Merlin, I understand your concern, but I think you really are becoming a little paranoid here. All of these circumstances, these events you're so worried over, you're exaggerating them.

Many people who live in villages outside the town say they are from Camelot, and the majority of those people have never met me or my father, or if they have, no more than once. Like as not, Arya is from one of those places.

And while I may be the Prince, not even I know all of the landscape of Camelot on sight. This is most likely just a path we haven't taken before. The forests are full of them. I'm sure when we get closer we shall recognize more of the land. There's nothing to worry about. We're all going to be just fine." He smiled.

Nope. Not okay. Merlin wasn't done yet.

"And the cliff in the middle of the forest? I suppose you just _forgot_ that existed as well?"

Hah. Take that, flawed Pendragon logic. Merlin was feeling proud of his arguing abilities today

But Arthur had an answer for that as well. Damn. Logic was letting him down again.

"Sorcery, Merlin. There's no other way. Clearly, the sorcerer who sent us to that forest raised up the ground to catch us. Now, why don't you stop worrying so much and relax a little? For once, we're not being attacked every four minutes as we travel, no one is in immediate danger, and there is no incredible urgency. I mean to enjoy this travel. You should do the same."

And with another smile at him, Arthur got up and walked to where his father was waiting for him. They were clearly getting underway again.

* * *

But as they continued on the road to Camelot, Merlin did not relax. Not at all. In fact, Merlin was quite busy, thinking over all Arthur had said. Not for the first time, he wished he could feel as confident in his deductions as Arthur clearly was.

It was possible, wasn't it? That Arthur was right about everything? And that Merlin was just being paranoid? (Occupational hazard of being the Crown Prince's manservant)

Maybe it was. Still, something didn't quite sit right with Merlin about this.

He knew that the sorcerer who had blasted them into the forest hadn't wanted them dead (otherwise, they would BE dead) but then, what _had_ he wanted? To teach them something? But they were already almost back to Camelot, and merlin didn't think anything major had been taught to anyone in the group, least of all the Pendragons.

Everyone else seemed to think that their little sorcerer-inspired forced journey was just about over, but Merlin had a feeling it had barely started.

And that Arya, he suspected she had a bigger role to play in this thing then she was letting on as well.

Looking at her chatting away with Morgana and Gwen, Merlin was even surer of his suspicions. The two older girls were as charmed by Arya as the Pendragon boys had been. She was perfect.

And if Merlin had learned anything about girls in his lifetime (and he hoped he had) it was that no girl was perfect. Not even the ones that seemed to be so. Especially not them.

No, sooner or later something would happen, and Arya would lose her perfect shell and be just another girl like Gwen or Morgana, with problems and secrets and flaws. As much as she may pretend otherwise, no girl could be perfect.

Of that, at least, Merlin was sure. It wasn't much, but it was of some comfort to him as they walked on and drew ever closer to Camelot.

***Author's Note* (hides in corner in shame)**

**Soooooo...hi there. Before you begin yelling at me for taking so long, I can explain. You see, I was on vacation for a week. And I had no internet access there, or my laptop either for that matter. And after that? Well, after that, I spent several straight days immersed in writing a variety of bloody and gruesome deaths for pretty much every person/character I knew. Being a girl sucks sometimes, doesn't it? But you gotta admit, it's great for those murder scenes!**

**Anyways, I'm back again, and I bring news. I...have almost become responsible. Almost. Sort of. Not really. Okay, an attempt was made to become responsible. And as such, I am posting this instead of sleeping. So when I'm really tired at work tomorrow, it's because of you. This whole thing is your fault really. Yes you. *Points out of screen directly at your _soul*_**

**On a side note, don't forget. If you Tumble and you're looking for someone to follow, I'm there and I reblog fun stuff! Also, if anyone is interested in maybe Beta-ing for me, (making sure I stay on track with the story, making sure I don't spontaneously kill off all the characters, etc. etc.) then shoot me a PM. **

**Alright, that just about wraps this up. This one's a bit of a filler chapter, but don't worry! I promise there's some action in the next Chap! WOoHoO! **

**Until next time: Read, review, favorite, fly like a penguin, swim like a drunken sailor, sing arias with the sharks, can can down the aisle at your uncle's wedding, refer to yourself only in the third person, and just be SPARKLES!**


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